And I Would Fly : The Happy Ending
by Pikajenn
Summary: While it isn't the most creative title, it reflects a story with a happier ending than the original ending. Dedicated to all readers who wanted a happy ending.


"Pidgeot, Gust Attack! Finish it off!"

My Trainer's voice would be calm and cool, collectively ordering the final attack. We would win, he and I, with the fierce beats of my powerful wings. Wings that could fly at speeds surpassing what the humans call "Mach 2", the same wings that could shield a Trainer from a sudden summer rain.

_Crunch_

My last foe would fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, despite the encouragement from its Trainer, and the cheering of the crowds.

We would win the Indigo, Orange Islands, and Johto League Games. Triumphantly standing over our fallen competition, we would rise to the top, undefeated and unrivaled.

_Snap_

The memories would flash back in a whirlwind of activities, I know this would be true! My parents would be so proud of me, to be carrying out the grand tradition of purely bred Pidgeot lines. Ours were the oldest bloodlines of Pidgeot, running back to years before the very first League Games. Even though harsh times had fallen on my family and I was the last descendant of those honored bloodlines...I know they would be proud.

My father had been taken from life when I was a young Pidgey. He had perished at the claws of a feral Persian, while he was guarding my brother and two sisters. Unfortunately, he did not know that my siblings were gone as well, stolen by a second, unseen Persian.

My mother is still alive, living with a human called May Oak. May and my mother have a very close bond, almost telepathic. I am often jealous of the bond between the two, but I know I will have such a bond as well. He will not be just my Trainer, but my friend and companion.

_Flutter_

My ancestors would be especially proud. Many a Pidgeot from our lines have made it into the competition and aided in winning with the team, but never has a Pidgeot solely won a round. I would defeat that; a record that no Pidgeot has managed to defeat before.

Hopefully, my father and my siblings would be watching over me, bringing me the spiritual support I would need. Battles are tough, but worth it. That's what father always said, when we were in our roost behind the Oak house.

The Oaks are nice people, even the young Gary. He is a bit stubborn and willful, but then again, so am I. Mother reminds me constantly that I am the last female of our lines, she broods over me continually and though I know she means well, she is just pushing me away from her. I am trying to stay humble and obedient to her, until a Trainer is chosen for me, but it is difficult.

So I dream of the Trainer I will one day have. The games we would play, the celebrations we would attend, and the long life we would share together. He and I would be inseparable, the closest of friends, companions. Though one day I would be too big to rest upon his shoulder, well, then he would rest upon mine!

Our futures would be intertwined and nothing could separate us. No communication barriers, no emotional difficulties, no troubles at all...life would..._will_ be perfect. It will be something no other Pokémon and Human will have had before. We would set a new record in Pokémon/Human standards.

_Twang_

Someday I am sure he would take a mate, a wife, but we would cross that bridge when it comes. Surely he would take my council when the choosing began, this I know to be true as well. For if we would be so close, we would surely agree on the lucky female. It would only be natural that she would have a champion male Pidgeot as a companion.

_What is that uncomfortable tugging feeling? Something doesn't feel right. It's almost painful. _

But back to the celebrations at wing, or hand if you prefer. The parties would go on all night long in the Trainer's Village. We would go from hostel to restaurant, all the free food we would want, and all the fans we would want. Even those competitors that we had beaten would be there, raising their drinks in a toast to our greatness.

My Trainer would be silent, but proud. He would not gloat or be boisterous. I am sure that he would be looking for that mate, the girl of his dreams. He would have told me of her, what she looks like, and what it would feel like to finally find her.

I am not sure why he would have lost her in the first place, but humans are like that.

Pokémon, even those I fought against and beat, would surround me, asking me for tips, strategies, how _did_ I win. I would simply tell them that it is all thanks to the bond between my Trainer and I. Our love for each other, love in its simplest and purest of forms, which enables us to be undefeatable.

Why am I suddenly tired? I don't want to sleep, but it seems inevitable.

_Slither_

I struggle to stay awake. I must focus on the good times, so I can find him, and let him tell me what is wrong.

I can clearly see his face in my mind. The kind sapphire blue eyes hidden under the wild chestnut-colored hair. Eyes that are kind when he is not putting on a show for the other humans. That is what May has told my mother. No one really knows what my Trainer is like, save for May, my mother, and me.

But every good Pokémon knows its Trainer, inside and out.

I would know my Trainer as well as he would know me. We would keep no secrets from each other, no hidden feelings, and no façades.

His face is fading from my mind, all of a sudden. I don't know why.

My eyes close and I can see the celebrations so clearly in my mind. We are at a huge table, lit candles are in the center of the table, set in an elaborate centerpiece of exotic flowers. The candles are unnecessary, since the house lights are only dimmed low. Even the humans can see in this low light.

My Trainer would explain that they are for decoration, to set "the Mood," whatever that is! Laugher would ring around us, either at a tastefully told joke or for the simple warmth of good company. People and Pokémon together as we should be.

_Shk_

A sudden darkness passes over me and I feel warm, very warm. Tingly too.

I sigh and give in to it, though my freshly preened feathers feel sticky and damp. It almost feels very humid, but why would it be humid inside a human establishment? Wouldn't my Trainer sense my discomfort?

Where did he go? I really can't sense much of anything anymore.

What had I been thinking about?

Food...company...games

Oh, yes, the celebrations.

I can't seem to picture it in my mind anymore, but I feel comfortable. Wait, what's that light...where is it coming from? That sound, it sounds like my father's singing, his song to greet the sun when it rises every morning. Why would I be hearing it?

What happened to the laughter and the celebrations? What...

_SNAP_

As he came around the bend, Gary Oak froze at the gruesome sight before him. He turned around, to prevent his sister May from running into him, but he was too late. She had seen it.

"Oh, Gary...not Serenity," she shook her head, one hand pressed delicately to her mouth. "Miara will be so distraught."

Gary grimaced, "I know, do I _ever_ know. Gramps isn't going to be too happy either, he told me to capture that Pokémon last week and I..."

May interrupted him and glared at him, "And you were too busy with your latest girlfriend. Honestly Gary, if you would only listen. It was _your_ fault those two Persian got Miara's chicks _and_ her mate."

He smirked, "Dating's fun. You should try getting a boyfriend instead of wasting your time with that big chicken of yours."

"_Big chicken!_ Miara now happens to be, no thanks to you, the last female of our honored Oak Pidgeot lines!" Tears made her eyes glisten and May pivoted and began walking back to the house, "If you weren't so self-centered, maybe you could find a Pokémon who would respect you so that you could understand that bond!"

Gary continued to smirk until he heard the door slam shut behind May, then he turned back. A rare sorrowful expression graced his face. He shook his head, looking at the artistic, but deadly, lines of the young Ariados' web. He would have minutes before Miara came to extract revenge. She made short work of the Persians; this Ariados would have no chance.

His sapphire blue eyes settled on the still form of Serenity, the young female Pidgey. The last breedable female Pidgey of the Oak Pidgeot lineage. He felt a twinge of sadness as he remembered how attached she seemed to him, even though she was just newly hatched three weeks ago.

Her liquid brown eyes blinked slowly and Gary was struck by the certainty of the movement. It wasn't a blink that was a death reaction. _The chick was still alive!_

He didn't hesitate. If anything at all happened and Serenity lived, then Gary could redeem himself in Miara's eyes and get off his Gramps' shit list in the process.

Gary called out his Arcanine and, after solidifying from white energy, the huge fire Pokemon growled. The rumbling sound vibrated through Gary's chest and the trainer felt smug. He wouldn't lose the chick to this spider. The huge fire dog was twice as tall and easily weighed more than the Ariados.

"Ramses, would you please get the chick free from the web?" Gary asked it with all formality even though it wasn't necessary. The canine knew his trainer very well and never hesitated to respond.

The movements from the fire dog were a blur. Before the Ariados knew what was happening, the young chick was free from the webbing. As her limp body flew through the air, Gary aimed a pokeball at her. It was her pokeball, as Gary had been in the process of looking for her, and with her currently dazed state it was easy to recall her.

The energies of the pokeball would hold her in a stasis mode and keep her stable until Gary could get her to safety. She would be secure, and alive, for now. He slipped the minimized pokeball into his pants pocked.

Gary turned to his second problem. The Ariados was _extremely_ upset at losing its meal.

"Too bad you lost your snack," Gary said blithely. "I'm sure she would've tasted like chicken."

The spider hissed and struck out unexpectedly. Webbing shot from its spinnerets and was aimed with precise accuracy at Gary. Ramses moved swiftly and blocked his trainer from the sticky threads. The heat from his coat incinerated the webbing and left the Arcanine shaking off ashes.

The teen didn't lose his cool. Instead of being shaken from the attack, he felt adrenaline course through him.

"That really wasn't nice." Gary said coolly. "But still, I'll give you a choice. You look like a reasonable spider."

The spider crouched and hissed again. Menace traced every line of its compact body.

"You must be female." He shook his head. "Only a female would be so unreasonable."

The Ariados leaped at him, only to be pinned down by Ramses. The big dog bared his teeth in an Arcanine grin. The spider writhed, but could not get free.

"Okay, you've got two choices, Ariados. You can either let me capture you and train with me, or you can wait here and let the chick's mother kill you." Gary shrugged. "To be quite honest, I'd go with me if I were you."

The slender arachnid hissed angrily. It definitely didn't care for either option.

Gary shrugged again, "So you don't like any of the choices. That's fine. Her mother will be here in about ten seconds." Which was a lie since Miara was undergoing DNA testing in Viridian with one of Gramps' academic associates. "Give or take. I guess I'll leave you for her. Come on, Ramses."

The fire dog released the spider and followed Gary, who had started to walk back towards the house.

He didn't get four steps before the spider darted after them in full attack mode. Instincts had taken over and the spider was too hungry to care about making a right or wrong decision.

This time Gary _was_ taken by surprise and was knocked to the ground. The spider had jumped over him, using him as a springboard, and the movement slammed him onto the ground. For heartbeat, Gary saw stars and a blackout threatened to overtake him.

Arcanine wasted no time in directing a flamethrower attack at the spider. The flames danced around the spider and roasted it and several trees. The fire didn't linger and served to knock the spider out.

Gary himself was close to blacking out and it was only thoughts of Serenity needing medical attention that kept him from giving in to the darkness that threatened him. He struggled to his feet and leaned against Ramses for support. The warmth from the canine revived him a bit and Gary pulled a spare, and thereby empty, pokeball from his pocket.

He maximized it and tossed it at the spider. The Ariados vanished in a flare of red energy and was sucked into the pokeball. It landed on the charred grass and rocked for what felt like hours, though it was only a few seconds. It dinged, indicating a capture, and Gary shakily walked over to it. He held a hand to his head and winced. He'd definitely have a headache later.

The teen slipped the pokeball into his pants pocket and it clinked against the pokeball that held Serenity. He looked along the trail and it swam for a moment before stabilizing.

"I think I need a ride, buddy." He gripped Ramses soft fur and struggled to take a breath. He cursed inwardly at the thought that a rib could be broken. "You don't mind, do you?"

The canine snorted derisively and lowered himself. Gary slipped on and clung to the dog. Ramses stood, made sure Gary had a good grip, and launched himself up the path. The ride was smoother than most luxury sedans, and soon enough the Arcanine was at the back porch.

Gary slipped off and walked unsteadily to the screen door. He opened it and walked into the kitchen. It wasn't pleasant to be greeted by his sister, who was sitting at the kitchen table, and his Gramps, who was standing near May. Her eyes were red rimmed and she tore at a paper towel she had been using as a napkin. His Gramps looked unsympathetic and angry at the same time.

Gramps opened his mouth to say something, but Gary fished out the two pokeballs and tossed them at the older man. With speedy reflexes that belied his age, Professor Oak snatched the two spheres.

"One of them holds Serenity," Gary winced as he sat at the table. "The other one holds a really pissed off Ariados."

"She's alive?" May choked out.

"For now," Gary looked over at his grandfather. "But she needs healed."

He had to give his Gramps credit. His mouth didn't gape at the news like May's did. The older man moved like lightning and ran down the hall towards the lab. The Oak lab was the only place in Pallet to have a regeneration machine that was identical to every other one that was in any Pokemon Center.

Gary held his head in his hands. He felt May getting up out of her chair and heard her walking towards the sink. Water flowed from the tap and he heard a towel being wrung out.

She tapped his shoulder and Gary rolled his gaze up at her. He didn't take his head from his hands.

"You've got dirt on your face," was all she said.

He took the cool, damp towel and pressed his face into it. The cool wet cotton felt good, just as good as the heat from Ramses had felt.

Gary realized that the Arcanine was patiently waiting on the back porch. "Ramses…"

"He'll be fine," May reassured him. "He's talking with Miara."

"She's there?"

"She is and she knows about Serenity," May said confidently. "But she feels that her chick will make it."

There was silence for a while and Gary ended up pillowing his arms on the table and resting his head on them. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, his Gramps was gently nudging his shoulders.

"How is she?" Gary asked. His voice was slightly hoarse. What the hell happened?

"She's fine," Gramps said softly. "She's recovering nicely and should be back to her normal rambunctious self in a few days. I'm more worried about you, my boy."

Gary groaned. "Why?"

"Have you noticed you're in your bed and not in the kitchen?"

"…No."

Then again, Gary supposed that his bed didn't feel like the chair he'd been sitting in. A lot of time must've passed since he fell asleep on the chair. A thin white blanked covered him up to his waist and he wasn't wearing a shirt. The room didn't feel cold. He was comfortable.

"I treated you for a poison sting attack."

"Poison sting? I thought it was just a string shot."

Gramps shrugged, "It could have been both. You were unconscious at the kitchen table and your fingers were beginning to swell. I didn't want to take a chance."

Gary looked at his fingers, saw double for a moment, blinked, and saw the normal amount of fingers. "They look fine." He flexed them and they tingled for a second. He took a breath and there was no pain. "I thought I cracked a rib. It was hard to breathe."

Gramps nodded knowingly. "Poison sting. Ramses was upset about it."

Gary smiled, "He would. Probably felt like he should've protected me."

"He did though, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"He wasn't as worried as Serenity."

"She was here?"

"Cooing over you," Gramps grinned. "She's quite taken with you. I almost think she's going to choose you instead of letting someone choose her."

"Can I see her?" Gary hesitated. "I feel guilty about not getting there in time."

"You _did_ get there in time!"

"Not in time to spare her that horror." Gary closed his eyes, then reopened them. "She was all wrapped up. I can't even imagine what that must have felt like."

"You were there in time, Gary. She wouldn't have lived if you hadn't found her." Gramps stood up and pulled the thin blanket up till it rested under his grandson's chin. "Miara is ever grateful to you and wanted to come in here once she found out you were awake."

While that news was surprising, Gary was trying to figure out how he hadn't noticed his grandfather had been sitting in a chair next to his bed. "How long was I…asleep?"

"Only a few hours."

Gary arched an eyebrow. "How _many_ hours?"

His grandfather shrugged. "A day's worth. Don't worry about it. May and I split up your chores, and Ramses looked over your Pokemon."

"The Ariados?" Sleep edged his vision and Gary yawned.

"Already registered to you. She seems to be settling in nicely." The older man chuckled. "I think you found yourself a spoiled spider princess."

"Figures. I thought she was a little touchy when I battled her." Gary smiled, then let the smile slide. "I think I'll take a little nap though."

Gramps nodded. "I'll wake you in an hour."

Gary nodded and closed his eyes. This time the threatening sleep was expected and welcome.

End

I hope you all enjoyed this new and undepressing ending. No, Gary does not die in this story. No one dies. It's one big happy ending and no one dies.

I don't foresee anything continuing with this story, unless someone really, _really_ wants me to. I don't mind, so don't be all scared to ask.

Yes, Gary did send Ramses back to flamethrow that web into oblivion. That way no one will die in the web.

See? NO ONE DIES! Go, be happy! Have, I don't know, a chocolate milkshake or something.

Or, gee, I dunno. You could review. That would make me happy. I'm not demanding a review, just, you know…begging. I guess. Or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this new, improved, no one dies, everyone's happy ending to _And I Would Fly._


End file.
